We Are LEGION - Jeremy Duncan

Mark 5
Buckle up for a metaphorical ride across Lake Kinneret, where we scrutinize Jesus' encounter with a man tormented by demons. This tale gets eerie, political, and ultimately heartfelt. As we delve into the metaphorical representation of possession, Jesus' role in pacifying the storm and emancipating the man from his demons becomes more apparent. When our narrative returns to the familiar side of the lake, you'll witness Jesus' interactions with a wealthy man and an unclean woman seeking healing. These accounts remind us of the boundless grace and lessons of love and inclusion that Jesus brings to our own communities.

★ Support this podcast ★

What is Commons Church Podcast?

Sermons from Commons Church. Intellectually honest. Spiritually passionate. Jesus at the centre. Since 2014.

Jeremy Duncan: 00:06

Welcome to the commons cast. We're glad to have you here. We hope you find something meaningful in our teaching this week. Head to commons.church for more information.

Jeremy Duncan: 00:21

We are wrapping up the first half of the gospel of Mark. Next week, we begin Advent proper, and so we will shift our focus as we prepare for the arrival of the Christ child. But then in the new year, once we make our way to Lent, we will come back to Mark to pick up where we leave off today and make our way through to the end of that gospel. But even with a part 1 and a part 2, I know you found that we are moving pretty quickly through Mark, and that's by design because that's the vibe. Things move quickly.

Jeremy Duncan: 00:54

Narratives are packed tightly. And, Mark, things happen for a reason, but they all tend to happen fast. And so while we want to give due diligence to what we're reading, we also are trying to give you that sense of urgency that you get when you read Mark. And over the last 2 weeks, Bobby took us through chapter 4 in Mark. And that was a fun pair of sermons Because at the start of chapter 4, Jesus gives us some parables, and then at the end of chapter 4, he shifts into what we might call a series of enacted parables.

Jeremy Duncan: 01:28

So 2 weeks ago, we heard about the god who tosses seed along the path and onto the rocks and into the weeds and Maybe even onto some of the soil you might actually expect to grow something from. And I love this image of god as an extravagant farmer, One who has more seed than one can possibly guard, and so he just tosses it everywhere hoping for the best. ROI is meaningless when your love is inexhaustible. In particular, though, I loved how Bobby shifted our imagination away from Jesus being the farmer in the story. I mean, what if Jesus is The seed and god the one who sows, wouldn't that mean that we can expect to discover the goodness of Jesus everywhere?

Jeremy Duncan: 02:18

But that led into more short stories, and those led into what I'm gonna call a series of enacted parables that we will continue with today. So last week, Jesus was in a boat, in a storm, in a bed sleeping, and Bobby walked us through all the connections to both Hebrew and the Greek Storytelling, all of these stories of storms and chaos and slumber and, ultimately, control. The point being that this is not just a story about dudes afraid of drowning. This is a story about all of those forces in all of our lives that Often feels so much bigger than us. And in that sense, I think that story actually becomes A lot more accessible to me as a modern reader who has no reason to be afraid of wind and lightning, But who is often afraid of not being in complete control of everything in my life?

Jeremy Duncan: 03:13

Because that's what this story does. Right? It pierces the illusion of control I have crafted for myself. It reminds me that no matter what I accomplish or achieve or pursue or bargain for, I will never outrun the need at some point to trust myself to someone. And to know that I am cared for when I do is a very safe space.

Jeremy Duncan: 03:37

But that leads us Into Today. So let's pray. God of good stories, stories told and the stories lived, Stories filled with purpose and meaning and lessons for us to metabolize and to draw strength from. Would we slowly learn to embrace our vulnerability, to turn toward those who love us, To lean on those who have demonstrated their trustworthiness to us, to believe that you are on our side always in gracious love. Might that awareness and help us to know that our lives are littered with good news, scattered into every corner just waiting for us to notice.

Jeremy Duncan: 04:24

And when we do, in those rare moments where we our good soil even for a moment. Right? That awareness, then move us toward your way With more grace, more peace, more compassion, and more action toward the world that you dream of, As we begin to turn our hearts toward your advent, may our trust become joy, And our joy, celebration, and our celebration, ultimately good news for someone new. In the strong name of the risen Christ, we pray. Amen.

Jeremy Duncan: 05:05

Today, it's Mark chapter 5. And as we have done all series, we have a lot of work ahead of us again today. Three more stories, 3 enacted parables Teach us something about god's imagination for us. But first, last time I was up here was just after Halloween, And I told you about my son's zombie Harry Potter costume. And first of all, that makes me laugh looking back because many preachers get to talk about 1 Halloween and 2 Harry Potter and 3 zombies in 1 sermon and then survive to bring it all up again?

Jeremy Duncan: 05:41

Thank you for being normal, by the way. But I bring that up because we find ourselves back at another one of Mark's stories about demons today, And we hit one of these already. There, we talked about how delicate Mark is with the language in that encounter. If you remember, there's a section where Jesus raises Simon's mother-in-law from her bed, and he cleanses a man with leprosy, and he tells a paralyzed man to get up and go home. And all of those stories use very dynamic verbs.

Jeremy Duncan: 06:14

But in the encounter with the demonized, Jesus takes a therapeutic approach. Mark literally uses the Greek word to describe the encounter, a word that in Greek implies a long, slow process of healing. It's as if the neighbors bring those in heightened distress to Jesus, and he spends the night Speaking with them to calm them, guide them back to themselves over the course of the evening. Mark uses the language that's available to him to describe what he sees in this encounter, and I think it's really quite touching. Today, though, we have a story that is much more befitting our Halloween excursion from a few weeks ago, One that gets a little scary and quite political, and then a second that will bring it all home hard.

Jeremy Duncan: 07:06

So today, We need to talk about the other side, what's in a name, talking to the president and all of our daughters. But before we jump in, Let's remember where we were last week. At the end of chapter 4, Jesus gets in a boat and says, let's go over to the other side. And they do. And Jesus fall asleep, and a storm comes up, and Jesus says, chill, and it does, and they land.

Jeremy Duncan: 07:31

But where exactly have they landed? What is this other side? Well, Bobby actually talked about it briefly. This is the gentile or the non Jewish side of the Sea of Galilee, also known as Lake Kinneret. See, at this time, Rome controlled, Like, everything, essentially.

Jeremy Duncan: 07:52

But the west side of the lake known as the Galilee was primarily Jewish, and Rome allowed Some level of local autonomy to those people. On the east side of the lake, though, was a collection of Roman cities founded on territories that once belonged to the nation of Israel. Now our version of Mark says in chapter 5 verse 1, They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. But other ancient manuscripts of Marck either say the Gerasenes or the Gadarenes. And all of that confusion seems to come from actually a trio of little cities along the lake called Gerasa, Gadara, and Gergesa.

Jeremy Duncan: 08:34

Apparently, driving along the Sea of Galilee in the 1st century was like driving through Northwest Calgary in the 2000. Rachel and I lived in Tuscany for a while about a decade ago. And whenever people wanted to come to our house, we'd have to give them directions like this. Take Tuscany Way to Tuscany Valley, then on to Tuscany Park, then you'll hit Tuscany Grove, and we're on the right. It's a ridiculous neighborhood.

Jeremy Duncan: 08:55

Anyway, The salient part here is that Mark is taking these city names, and he's turning them into a description, really an epithet. Because region of the Gerasenes seems to be a play on Jewish words that meant something like the cast out ones. Now it's possible that's referring to the Gentiles themselves, but more likely, Probably to the Jewish populations that lived in those gentile cities, people that had perhaps Left for the greener economic pastures of the Roman side of the lake or maybe those who had been literally cast out for Religious and social reasons. In fact, Herod Antipas had built his capital, a city called Tiberias, on the same shores a little farther north, But he actually had to coerce Jewish people to live in that city because it was constructed on top of an ancient gravesite, and that creeped a lot of people out. Hold on to that, by the way.

Jeremy Duncan: 09:58

Point is, Jesus gets in a boat and sets out for the region of the cast out ones, a parcel of land that Once belonged to his people, but was now a place for them, the other side, our enemies. So already, lot going on here. But let's read from Mark 5. They went across the lake to the region of the cast out ones. And when Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him.

Jeremy Duncan: 10:30

And I guess that's what you'd expect in the land of the cast out ones. Am I right? A tomb dwelling impure welcome wagon. So jumping to verse 5 here. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills, he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

Jeremy Duncan: 10:45

And I I think we're starting to see why the tourist trade was a little depressed in the Gerasenes. In fact, in Luke, in the parallel, he adds that this dude also Just happens to be naked when he greets Jesus as well. And what's going on here is that the writers are piling up almost comically The layers of social separation between Jesus and this man. Public nakedness was shameful in Judaism, see the story of Noah. Interacting with blood made you ceremonially unclean in Jewish culture, see Leviticus 15.

Jeremy Duncan: 11:19

Touching a tomb required you to go Ritual cleansing scene numbers 19 and all the problems with Tiberias. On top of that, this man is living in the region of the Cast at once those who represent the occupying Roman forces. So socially, Politically, religiously, ritually, this man represents the other, them. Whatever's not like us, the Cast out ones to a tee. Like, he's almost a caricature at this point.

Jeremy Duncan: 11:49

Right? To top it off, We even get a confirmation at the end of the story that this man is not in fact a Jewish. He's a gentile to begin with. Jesus tells him in verse 19 to go home to his own people and Tell them of god's mercy. To all this trip across the lake to the either side with the write offs, It must have something to do with Jesus crossing our made up borders.

Jeremy Duncan: 12:14

Right? But what happens when he gets there? Well, When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of them. He shouted at the top of his voice, what do you want with me, Jesus, son of the most Hi god, but in god's name, don't torture me. For Jesus had said to him, come out of this man, you impure spirit.

Jeremy Duncan: 12:36

But then Jesus asked him, what is your name? And he replied, my name is Legion, for we are many. And, yes, this is absolutely where all of those scary movies got all of their ideas from. Sorry, Emily Rose. Your Exorcism was a sequel.

Jeremy Duncan: 12:52

Fine. What happens? When the demon slash demons figure out that Jesus is here, they decide they better peace out. They say to Jesus, look, There's a herd of pigs over there. Allow us to go into them.

Jeremy Duncan: 13:05

Jesus agrees they do, and the pigs immediately then run down the hill into the water and drown. Not sure what the strategy was there, but it's pretty metal. I'll give them that. Still, I'm left with this question. What on earth is going on here?

Jeremy Duncan: 13:22

A couple things are important for context. And to put them into that context, we really need to go back to the beginning. Mark starts with Jesus saying, repent. The kingdom is near. Believe good news.

Jeremy Duncan: 13:36

He then launches into a series of Healings that are all about our social location, the ways we separate from each other. He confronts religious perspectives that reinforce rule keeping over Bonding to our neighbor, he tells parables about how god is everywhere all the time. And then he says, hey, guys. Let's go over there To the other side where the cast out ones are, maybe god is sowing seed there as well. Now on the way, Storm comes up, and Jesus calms the chaos that seems to surround us.

Jeremy Duncan: 14:10

But then when he finally gets to the other side, A region that once belonged to his people but is now occupied by a dominating military force. He's met by a man who is Socially, religiously, politically adrift, and all of that is attributed to the demonic or, in other words, that which opposes god's grace. And then those demons identify themselves as legion, a uniquely Roman term that did not just mean many. It meant, at the time of Augustus, very specifically, 5,600 infantry, 200 auxilia, which were non citizen soldiers, and probably another six 100 cavalry. That number could change depending on the needs.

Jeremy Duncan: 15:00

In other words, a legion was an occupying hostile force taking up residence in space where they were not welcome. That force is then sent into pigs, wild animals considered unclean in the Jewish culture that just happened to be roaming around on formerly Jewish lands. Those animals then exit stage left only to be swallowed by the very forces of chaos that Jesus just demonstrated his mastery of on the boat ride over. And just for fun, since we're here, anyone wanna take a wild guess at the symbol for the 10th Roman legion for Tensas, The very legion that camped out on the Mount of Olives and conquered Jerusalem only a couple decades after Jesus' death right around the time the gospels are being written. Here's a hint.

Jeremy Duncan: 15:48

It was a wild boar. That's more than a hint, but still, it's true. Like, However you wanna make sense of this story, whether you believe that Legion was a literal demon that Jesus exercised Whether you believe that Legion is a metaphor for all the ways that Jesus frees this man from everything that bears down on him, I think if you're taking Marx Seriously. You've got to admit that there is more going on here than just a random porcine encounter. This is a parable, a parable about the way that military and political occupation can Crush people.

Jeremy Duncan: 16:33

A parable about the way that social and religious isolation can compound that. A parable about the way that our language and our names for each other can slowly convince us that someone else, Another human being is our enemy rather than the forces that separate us. A parable about those Who live by the sword in their own military might, how they will inevitably eventually be swallowed up by the chaos of their own violence, A parable about how Jesus steps calmly, confidently, peacefully into our mess and disarms all of our us and them narratives. Because let's be honest here. Jesus and graveyards and demons and boars, that Oh, it feels pretty distant to me.

Jeremy Duncan: 17:24

I'm honestly not sure that a surface reading of this story has much, if anything, to teach me about my neighbor. But to be confronted with the fact that I have sometimes believed in the regions of the cast out ones, Be that Okotoks or Ontario or Gaza or Suttina, The fact that I have sometimes unknowingly piled religious trauma on top of already existing distress just by acting as if my religious expectations were Somehow universal for everyone, to know that I've sometimes given in to the fantasy that injustice can be overcome With an equal and opposite violence, and then to see Jesus step into that boat, To cross that divide, to calm that storm, to greet his counterpart, and to ask his name, That tells me I still have a lot to learn and probably just as much, if not more, to unlearn. See, I think all of the forces that Mark highlights in this story, all of the ways that we convince ourself that Someone else's suffering is not our problem. I think all of that is still very much at play in our world today. And I think Jesus is just as interested in convincing us as he was his disciples that them does not exist.

Jeremy Duncan: 18:56

There is only the beloved child of god. See, here's the thing. I'll never encounter a demon like Legion. My guess is you won't either. But I know that I'm surrounded by stories that tell me people like this man aren't worth the effort.

Jeremy Duncan: 19:14

And I know that the way of Jesus is trying to disciple me in better, healthier directions, but that's hard. Except here's the thing. We're not done. Because just as Mark has done all along, he keeps Combining these little stories together into packages that build on each other. So it was 4 healings in chapter 2 and Four confrontations in chapter 3 and 4 parables in chapter 4, and now it's 4 vignettes all centered around Lake Kinneret.

Jeremy Duncan: 19:48

And we've seen how the first two relate, but now Jesus crosses back to the Jewish side of Lake Kinneret. Now this time, the sailing is much smoother, so that's nice. But when he lands, there's this huge crowd that's gathered to meet him. And then in verse 22, we read that one of Synagogue leaders, a man named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. He pleaded earnestly with him, my little daughter is dying.

Jeremy Duncan: 20:13

Please Come, put your hands on her that she will be healed and live, so Jesus went with him. And a large crowd followed and pressed in around him. Now a couple things about Jairus here. He's called a leader in the synagogue in Mark. The technical Greek term here is arkisuneogos.

Jeremy Duncan: 20:31

It's literally something like the president of the synagogue. So think chair of the board here at commons. This was an elected position that supported the religious leaders in the synagogue. So highly respected popular and influential Pharisee adjacent. The bottom line is the very first person that Jesus interacts with on this side of the lake is the direct polar opposite of who we just interacted with on the other side of the lake, and I don't think that's a coincidence.

Jeremy Duncan: 21:04

2nd, Jairus comes to Jesus and bows down before him. Now do you remember earlier in the series, we Talked about some of our misconceptions about Pharisees and different religious groups in Jesus' world. Jairus is a really good example of all that. He's not a Pharisee himself, but he is part of that system. And he certainly does not see Jesus as a threat.

Jeremy Duncan: 21:28

He sees him as a godsend literally. So no religious group is monolithic, and we should learn to welcome people on the terms they offer themselves to us, Not on our stereotypes of them. Okay? 3rd, this man is powerful. He's popular, and he's influential.

Jeremy Duncan: 21:48

The reason he even gets to Jesus here is likely because the crowd parted way for him when he walked. And yet he doesn't lord that over anyone. He doesn't demand the kind of deference he's probably used to. He's profoundly humble here. He's there on behalf of someone else, someone he loves.

Jeremy Duncan: 22:07

Jairus is he's a good guy. And if Jesus is good to the man on the other side of the lake in spite of his status, well, then maybe Jesus is good to this man because of it. Right? At least that's the contrast that's being set up here. Of course, it's all just misdirection, though, because As Jesus begins to follow Jairus home, a woman who the text tells us has been subject to bleeding for 12 years, Probably some type of menstrual condition.

Jeremy Duncan: 22:38

She sneaks up to touch Jesus' garment in the pursuit of some kind of healing. And there's a couple clues in the text here that are pretty intriguing. Verse 26 tells us that she had suffered under the care of many doctors. That's the NIV. This could also be translated.

Jeremy Duncan: 22:56

She suffered from many healers. The implication here is possibly that this woman has been abused and defrauded by a lot of people that claimed they were interested in helping her. 2nd, verse 28 tells us that she thought, if I could just touch his clothes, I'll be healed. And that's a reference to a particular mythology that had developed over time. See, Malachi 4 says That the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays or in its streams or technically, the word is kanaf or wings.

Jeremy Duncan: 23:34

And in Jewish culture based on a command in numbers 19, Jewish people often wore robes with special tassels or wings, Same word, kanaf, as a reminder to follow the ways of god. It was a mnemonic device for them. Over time, though, the rumor began to develop that when the Saia finally came. That son of righteousness would bring healing in his, well, literal kanaf on the edges of his clothing. So that's what this woman is banking on.

Jeremy Duncan: 24:03

There's rumor that she's heard, and, honestly, why not? I mean, she's tried everything else. So here's our theme. Jesus has just agreed to follow this powerful but very respectful man home. This woman sneaks up along the ground between the feet of the crowd crushing in to see Jesus, and she steals a healing for herself.

Jeremy Duncan: 24:27

Mark says that Jesus felt power go out from him, and so he turns around and asks, who touched me? And the disciples are like, are you kidding, man? There's like a 100 people here. Everyone's touching you. Chill.

Jeremy Duncan: 24:41

But Jesus asked again more forcefully this time, and the woman, Knowing the jig is up, falls at his feet, trembling, apologizing, begging for him not to undo what has happened and says, it was me. And Jesus says, daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace. Be freed from your suffering. Now This word that Jesus uses here, daughter, I mean, first, a very familial, loving, caring term, Very open and welcoming, but also you see what he's doing here by using it?

Jeremy Duncan: 25:15

Jesus has just elevated this woman On the ground at his feet who has had no one looking out for her good immediately to the status of the powerful man's daughter who has everyone looking out for her. One over the other, us versus them. This is not a dichotomy Jesus is willing to acknowledge. We are all daughters. And then to drive that home, what happens next is that word comes from Jairus' home that his daughter Has died.

Jeremy Duncan: 25:47

So Jesus says, look. Don't lose hope. This isn't wasted time for any of us. This is good for all of us. Let's keep going to your home where a second daughter is then healed.

Jeremy Duncan: 25:59

What's going on here, Particularly in the larger context of this quartet of stories around Lake Kinneret. Well, Each of these stories tell us something about Jesus. Right? Like, the way he calms the chaos that surrounds us and the way he intentionally crosses barriers to Care for those on the outside. The way he welcomes opportunities for grace when they interrupt his plans and The way he follows through with promises of wholeness for all.

Jeremy Duncan: 26:28

Any of those stories absolutely could have been their own whole sermon. No doubt. They're beautiful. But together, Mark is doing something really remarkable here. Put it all together.

Jeremy Duncan: 26:40

Jesus saves his friends from a storm, And that leads directly into Jesus saving a man who is almost a caricature of everything his friends think of as opposed to god. All of a sudden, the same grace that saved them saves him. Their eyes are wide open. Except then, We get back in the boat. Right?

Jeremy Duncan: 27:01

And we come back home, and it's a little more comfortable and respectable and familiar here. We're on the right side of the lake again as it were. And immediately, Jesus is greeted by a wealthy, powerful, influential, good man, and now we're back on track. Right? Like, this is the messiah we've been led to expect.

Jeremy Duncan: 27:19

Maybe all that Legion stuff really just was a speed bump after all. And yet all of a sudden, along comes this unclean woman. Notice Mark uses the issue of blood on both sides of the lake. Here she comes, sneaking up behind Jesus, scratching and clawing along in the dirt for the grace that she's been denied. And here, Jesus happily sets aside his respectable messianic mission with Jairus to make sure that she knows, that we know, that her story is just as important to him as the man the crowds parted their ways for.

Jeremy Duncan: 27:59

See, for me, this interaction is almost Jesus saying, do you remember that mind blowing boundary expanding grace you saw On the other side of the lake, all of that is just as necessary here on this side of the lake in your backyard With your neighbor and with your uncle you don't understand, With your trans nephew that makes you uncomfortable, everything you learn about grace there, that's your lesson about grace here. Because the same calming force that overcome storms and overthrows legions Is the same grace that will always make space for the forgotten, in your home, In your neighborhood, in your city, on your planet, there is love overflowing for when you are gyrus And for when you are struggling to be noticed, and when you and I, when we can learn that And we can embody that way of Jesus in the world both there and right here, Then we might actually start to see good news. Let's pray. God, for all the spaces where we have seen your grace out there And marveled at the goodness of a god who would cross lines and step over boundaries for the sake of love, But yet failed to bring that story home, to nest in our lives and our homes.

Jeremy Duncan: 29:53

We ask in this moment that you would continue to expand our imagination of what grace can be, To realize that the goodness on the big scale is the same goodness that takes up residence In a kind smile, in a peaceful word, in a welcome, in an open seat at our tables, And that those smallest stories of goodness can cycle out into changed lives that become big stories that build the kingdom you imagine for us. And that when we can follow your way In our homes and at our dinner tables, we can actually participate in the transformation of it all. In the strong name of the risen Christ, we pray. Amen. Hey.

Jeremy Duncan: 30:48

Jeremy here, and thanks for listening to our podcast. If you're intrigued by the work that we're doing here at commons, you can head to our website commons.church for more information. You can find us on all of the socials at commonschurch. You can subscribe to our YouTube channel where we are posting content regularly for the community. You can also join our discord server.

Jeremy Duncan: 31:08

Head to commons.church/discord for the invite, and there you will find the community having all kinds of conversations about How we can encourage each other to follow the way of Jesus, we would love to hear from you. Anyway, thanks for tuning in. Have a great week. We'll talk to you soon.